Study notes

2 Chronicles 6

Introducing 2 ChroniclesWho wrote it, when, why, and what to look for as you read

1:1–9:31 Section

2 Chronicles continues the story of Israel recorded in 1 Chronicles.

Solomon became king after David.

In 2 Chronicles the stories about Solomon tell only of his faithfulness to God. They don’t describe the times when he was unfaithful and worshipped false gods. Those stories are recorded in 2 Kings.

2 Chronicles shows how Solomon followed David’s example. He followed David’s instructions about the work of the priests and Levites. And he followed David’s instructions about building the temple on Mount Moriah.

Solomon recognised that the temple was nothing more than a building. It was a place where the Israelites could offer sacrifices to God. God is so great that no place on earth or heaven can hold him. Yet the temple was the place where God chose to put his name. God had talked about a special place for his name in Deuteronomy chapters 12 to 14. God putting his name somewhere was a sign. It was a sign that people could be aware of his presence in a special way.

Solomon gave the Israelites an example of how to pray (prayer) to God. He used his body and his words as he prayed. Solomon was on his knees and lifted his hands toward heaven. This was how he showed that he was humble and that he worshipped God. It showed that he needed God’s help and that he trusted God to answer him. Solomon understood that God knew what was in his heart. God answered by sending fire from heaven to the altar. This showed that God paid attention to Solomon’s prayer. God promised that his name, his eyes and his heart would always be at the temple. This meant that he would always listen to his people and help them. He would do this if they were humble and prayed. God would do this if they turned away from doing evil and depended on him.

When the people saw the fire, they worshipped God and thanked him. They understood that the fire was a sign of his faithful love for them. Even an outsider like the queen of Sheba recognised that God loved Israel. God wanted to take good care of his people (God’s people). He planned to do this through wise kings from David’s family line. That was part of God’s covenant with David. The kings were to worship God faithfully and do what was fair and right.

6:1–2

The dedication ceremony ended with Solomon's poetic speech about the temple's main idea. God chose to live in the thick cloud of darkness. The temple's dedication confirmed God's choice of Israel as his people and his ongoing presence among them.

6:10–11

The Chronicler combines the Sinai covenant, symbolized by the ark, with the Jerusalem temple and the Davidic dynasty. He does not mention Israel’s exodus from Egypt, only hinting at it through the ark. Under Solomon and David, God's covenant with Israel shaped the community's relationship with God during the Chronicler's time.

6:18

even the highest heavens, cannot contain You: All creation is like God's true temple, the palace of the divine king (see Isaiah 66:1–2).

6:21–39

In his covenant with Israel, the Lord promised blessings and life for obedience, and curses and death for disobedience (Deuteronomy 27:11–28:68; 30:15–18). Solomon prayed for God to listen and forgive when the people broke God's covenant. The seven "if-then" requests in his prayer covered any future situations the covenant people might face. In each case, Solomon described the situation and asked God to help his people.

6:22–23

Petition 1: Solomon asked for justice when it is hard to determine guilt or innocence. For example, in a theft case (Exodus 22:7–9), both the plaintiff and the defendant would swear oaths before God. The guilty person would then pay double.

6:24–25

Petition 2: Solomon asked God to give relief when people repent after sin causes trouble. Prayer offers a chance for redemption, and God's people receive his forgiveness through restoration.

6:26–27

Petition 3: Solomon asked God to guide his people to follow the right path. He wanted to ensure that sin would not stop God's blessing of rain for the land.

6:28–31

Petition 4: Solomon showed a special sensitivity to human suffering. He included both the private sorrow of those whose pain is hidden and the public distress of those whose pain is obvious. The prayer is personal, asking for God's understanding of each person's motives. It also asks for God's guidance so that the pain of failure might encourage the individual to follow God's ways in the future.

6:32–33

Petition 5: Solomon showed concern for people from other nations who chose to join the covenant society after seeing God's blessings on those who obeyed it (Deuteronomy 4:6–8). Solomon prayed for mercy for these foreigners, just as he did for native Israelites.

6:34–35

Petition 6: Solomon asked God to listen to the people's prayers when they followed God's command to fight their enemies.

6:36–39

Petition 7: Solomon worried that Israel might be completely exiled, as shown in the last part of his prayer. Israel faced many exiles, but the total destruction of Jerusalem and its temple was the hardest test of faith. Solomon saw the temple as a source of faith; even in a foreign land, people could remember it and pray. Mentioning the land, city, and temple (2 Chronicles 6:38) suggests total destruction, not just partial exile. Even if the temple was gone, people could still pray to God in heaven, who would hear and forgive.

6:41–42

  • Solomon’s prayer ends with a quote from a psalm (Psalm 132:8–10). This prayer marked the final step in moving the ark to its place in the temple. Prayers with psalms also accompanied David’s move of the ark to Jerusalem (1 Chronicles 16:7–36). Solomon’s use of a psalm reminds us of when the ark first reached its rightful place.

  • God is called to arise, not for war (compare Numbers 10:35), but to rest in the temple.

Verse notes: Adapted by Mission Mutual (Aquifer Open Study Notes) from Tyndale Open Study Notes © 2023 Tyndale House Publishers. CC BY-SA 4.0. Section notes: Biblica Study Notes © 2023 Biblica, Inc. CC BY-SA 4.0, via BibleAquifer. About the sources